Joseph D. Reitman


About

Also Known As
Joseph Reitman, Joe Reitman
Born
May 25, 1968

Biography

Joseph D. Reitman was a highly prolific American character actor who somehow also found time to produce, write, and direct movies, while also playing poker professionally. Despite all this, he is probably best known to the public at large for his brief marriage to actress Shannon Elizabeth. Born on May 25, 1968 in Brookline, MA, Reitman majored in theater at Pitzer College in Claremont, ...

Biography

Joseph D. Reitman was a highly prolific American character actor who somehow also found time to produce, write, and direct movies, while also playing poker professionally. Despite all this, he is probably best known to the public at large for his brief marriage to actress Shannon Elizabeth. Born on May 25, 1968 in Brookline, MA, Reitman majored in theater at Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. He made his film debut in the drama "Blood Ties" (1991), before making small appearances in shows such as "Beverly Hills, 90210" (1990-2000) and films like "California Dreams" (1994) and "Clueless" (1995) before landing his first big role, playing one of Kelly Bundy's boyfriends in four episodes of the groundbreaking sitcom "Married.with Children" (FOX, 1987-1997). Before long, Reitman was becoming rather prolific, popping up in small parts in a wide array of films and TV shows throughout the nineties and early 2000s, most notably "Boston Common" (NBC, 1996-97), "The Tony Danza Show" (NBC, 1997), "The Pretender" (NBC, 1996-2000), "The Drew Carey Show" (ABC, 1995-2004), "Clay Pigeons" (1998), "The Perfect Storm" (2000), "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" (2001), and "American Pie 2" (2001). It was on the set of that last film that Reitman met actress Shannon Elizabeth. In 2002, the pair officially wed. That same year, Reitman made his debut as a writer/director, with the comedy "Survivin' the Island" (2002). Before long though, he was back to acting, appearing on such TV shows as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (CBS, 2000-2015), "Providence" (NBC, 1999-2002), "Joan of Arcadia" (CBS, 2003-05), and "Judging Amy" (1999-2005), as well as films that included "Auto Focus" (2002), "The Failures" (2003), "Drop Dead Sexy" (2005), and "Lady in the Water" (2006). In 2005, Reitman and Elizabeth separated, though it was reportedly on good terms. Around this time, Reitman also decided to take a step back from Hollywood, and began focusing on the world of professional poker. He played in a number of charity tournaments, competed four times in the World Series of Poker, and even won the $1 Million Guaranteed Tournament sponsored by UltimateBet.com. Reitman returned to film in the financial thriller "Money Monster" (2016).

Life Events

Bibliography